EMC Capital Management Lowers Holdings in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)

EMC Capital Management trimmed its position in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF - Free Report) by 84.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,686 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 14,435 shares during the quarter. EMC Capital Management's holdings in Greif were worth $164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Greif by 3.2% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in shares of Greif by 7.0% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,068 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Greif by 71.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Greif in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Greif by 15.4% in the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,056 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. 45.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Greif Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Greif stock traded up $0.85 on Tuesday, hitting $61.46. The stock had a trading volume of 67,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 167,956. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Greif, Inc. has a one year low of $55.95 and a one year high of $73.16. The stock has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.61, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.94. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $63.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.32.

Greif (NYSE:GEF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.23). Greif had a return on equity of 11.84% and a net margin of 4.81%. The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Greif, Inc. will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Greif's payout ratio is 47.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Greif from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Greif from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Sidoti started coverage on shares of Greif in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Greif currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $79.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Greif news, Director B Andrew Rose purchased 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $70.20 per share, with a total value of $245,700.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $245,700. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer purchased 1,075 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $69.14 per share, with a total value of $74,325.50. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 165,426 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,437,553.64. This trade represents a 0.65 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 6,225 shares of company stock valued at $431,731 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Greif

Greif, Inc engages in the production and sale of industrial packaging products and services worldwide. The company operates through Global Industrial Packaging; Paper Packaging & Services; and Land Management segments. The Global Industrial Packaging segment produces and sells industrial packaging products, including steel, fiber, and plastic drums; rigid and flexible intermediate bulk containers; closure systems for industrial packaging products; transit protection products; water bottles, and remanufactured and reconditioned industrial containers; and various services, such as container life cycle management, filling, logistics, warehousing, and other packaging services to chemicals, paints and pigments, food and beverage, petroleum, industrial coatings, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, mineral product, and other industries.